After the Wind

This is my first really sad blip.

Nobody was hurt (No wrecks and nobody drowning...), but this is all that remains of a truly beautiful beech tree.

As we arrived at work in the pre-dawn light, we were expecting some damage, but this huge beech had broken off above ground level, just sheered straight through! It crashed across the ha-ha which divides the woodland garden from the golf course, causing substantial damage to the top of the wall, the service road and the fairway on the eighth.

The team of grounds-workers, aided by Michael from our team were already sawing it up and carting it away when Douglas and I arrived. We managed to clear it off the course by 10am and off the road by 12.

It will be missed. I am not a "tree-hugger" in the new-age sort of sense, but I do love trees, and this one was special. Next to Douglas towards the centre of the picture is the owl box (more easily seen large). In the past four years it has housed a barn owl chick every year. Last year the chick fell off the platform and we had to catch and replace it. It duly fledged and left the box.

Pictured from left to right; Algys, Michael, Adolphas and Douggie.